Pat Summitt will bring awareness, ’faith' to dementia fight

Friday

Aug 26, 2011 at 12:01 AMAug 26, 2011 at 12:36 PM

Lady Vols Coach Pat Summitt has always been strong for her team, her fans, her family and the causes she supports. Tuesday's announcement that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia -- the Alzheimer's type -- left many people shocked, but not surprised by her response to the diagnosis.

Leean Tupper

Lady Vols Coach Pat Summitt has always been strong for her team, her fans, her family and the causes she supports.

Tuesday's announcement that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia -- the Alzheimer's type -- left many people shocked, but not surprised by her response to the diagnosis.

Summitt said she's not giving up her job. As college basketball's winningest coach, Summitt is preparing for her 38th season at the University of Tennessee. She has 1,071 career victories and eight national championships.

"I listened to what she said in her statement. That pretty much says who she is and what she's about," said Shelley Sexton Collier, Webb School of Knoxville's assistant athletic director and head girls' basketball coach.

"She is someone who has just been thrown a curve in her life, I'm sure, but she takes that and is ready to run with it and move forward, living life," said Collier, a Lake City native who played ball for Summitt on the Lady Vols team from 1983 to 1987.

"That's what she's influenced so many of us already to do. This is one of those things where she has an opportunity to impact lives in a different way. As of now, she's still coaching and continuing to live," Collier said.

"I do know she's got strong faith and she's going to use this as a platform to help a lot of people because she always has," Collier said. "She's a legendary person first, and then she's a legendary coach. I'm proud of her for the way she's handling it, and coming out and speaking about it and ready to move forward."

"I know people want to be sad about it, but her statement was ’no pity party.' I choose positive. Pat's that kind of way," said Collier, who graduated from Anderson County High School in 1983. A member of the 1987 national championship Lady Vols team, Collier went on to coach at Clinton High School.

Increased awareness

Summitt's experiences and her willingness to talk about them could help others who face similar diagnoses now and in the future, according to a representative of a local nonprofit organization that advocates for memory-loss research and provides services to thousands of Tennesseans.

"We've been flooded with calls of both support for her, as well as creating an awareness about this disease. We've had an opportunity to talk with many families about memory-related disorders," Whitehead said. "Already in less than 24 hours, she's made a huge impact on awareness.

"Pat has always been a strong spokesperson for women's athletics and for other things that have touched her life. I think she'll be a really strong advocate for this cause as well," she said. "I think she brings integrity and accountability. She brings a lot of things to a cause when she steps up. I think, ultimately, the impact of her announcement and how she will deal with this disease will send such an enormous, powerful message to the thousands of people who are living with dementia in our area and beyond.

"Someone like Pat Summitt, shining a spotlight on this disease and stepping forward with it, does create an enormous awareness. It's the fact that she's done it with courage and the attitude that she's going to live her life, she's going to win basketball games, and she's going to take care of business with this as well," Whitehead said.

"We applaud her. When you have this disease, it's not just about the disease, but it's about living that you can do too."

Summitt, 59, was diagnosed with early onset dementia in May when she traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., according to The Associated Press.

The medical condition

Patrick Matthiessen, a board certified neurologist on staff at Methodist Medical Center, who is in practice with Cumberland Neurology Group in Oak Ridge, offered some comments about dementia and Alzheimer's disease for The Oak Ridger.

Matthiessen has no personal knowledge of the specifics related to Summitt's condition and pointed out that his comments are not directly related to the coach's public disclosure of her diagnosis.

"Early onset Alzheimer's is fairly uncommon and when it occurs in younger individuals it is usually -- but not always -- linked to genetics. Family history for early onset Alzheimer's is an important risk factor.

"Many of the typical complaints I hear from my patients who are concerned about their memory center around forgetfulness -- difficulty recalling a phone number or a person's name, for instance. That type of memory fatigue is just a part of the normal process of aging," Matthiessen said.

"However, when I hear that a person is experiencing problems remembering how to complete normal tasks, then that is a red flag. For example, a person who's normally a great cook but can't sequence together the steps to prepare a meal or a woodworker, car mechanic, etc., who can no longer recall the skills necessary to complete a project; those are definite warning signs," Matthiessen said. "Another cause for concern is around language and the sudden inability to put together a sentence. Again, forgetfulness of a word or name is normal but when sentence and communication sequencing is affected, people should see their physician for an evaluation."

Often, the warning signs aren't first noticed by the individual affected by them, but by family members or caregivers.

The physician said "dementia does not mean simply a loss of memory. Dementia is a loss of multiple cognitive spheres of which memory can be one. Memory loss may be the first sign but not always.

"While there is no cure for Alzheimer's, there are medications now that can help slow the progression of the symptoms," Matthiessen said. "Also, I counsel my patients to work at staying mentally fit. The old ’use it or lose it' adage certainly applies here. Exercise is not just for your body -- your brain needs it too. People should challenge their brains with activities such as crossword puzzles, Sudoku, memory games and the like. And, if Mom or Dad -- or yourself -- begin exhibiting behaviors that are alarming, talk with your physician. Understanding what you may or may not be dealing with and knowing what resources are available is a huge step in the process," he said.

There are more than 22,000 individuals and families facing Alzheimer's disease and dementia in East Tennessee and the Cumberlands, according to Alzheimer's Tennessee Inc.

Leean Tupper can be contacted at (865) 220-5501 or leean.tupper@oakridger.com.

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